Gomen'nasai, Kurosaki-kun
by IchixHimeFan
Summary: A constant haunting thought that it's all her fault for him to lose her powers. Why can't they both just reveal what their truly feeling to each other?


**(A/N) - Heyyyy my Dear IchixHimeFan fans, how's it going ? Okay, I've been working hard, really really really hard , even if it doesn't seem like it. ****And I've been constantly changing, editing, and writing and rewriting most of my stories... mostly for _Jealousy _and _All Should be Right , right? _****I know I have been saying that I was going to be updating soon, but I'm a liar . But like I said, I've been writing and rewriting , and its summer so no messing around, right?**

**But I've come up with something new to saturate your reading hunger... So please read and review. 3 Luvs ya**

**-Enjoy!**

* * *

The rain fell heavily over Karakura Town. Dark clouds shadowed, and Ichigo watched as the rain pelted over the Karakura River. His dark-colored umbrella shielded his brown eyes as they bore into the river, dark and distracted. His fingers unconsciously loosened on the bagged groceries that were supposed to be given to Yuzu, only minutes before it started raining. But as his mind muddled through reality, he never acknowledged or sensed the small hurried footsteps that were coming his way.

_My heart is hoping that one day_

_You'll reach your dreams_

_If this is the last time I'm here,_

_Then I'll reach mine too_

Ichigo sighed, his hand tightening their hold on the umbrella. His mind slowly came back to the groceries that he was supposed to give to Yuzu, and as he finally remembered, he turned his back on the river and began walking back home.

Then, seconds passed before a flash of dark-orange waved his vision. "Oof!" Before Ichigo knew it, something soft ran into his chest; his umbrella and the groceries flew out his hand as he fell onto the ground, gripping the person in his arms.

Ichigo cursed out on reflex. "Shit! I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you-" Ichigo did a double take upon noticing the girl in his arms. "O-Orihime?" Orange hair, definitely Orihime. The girl said nothing and instead buried her head in his chest. An act upon his nature, Ichigo immediately became worried that he'd hurt her and panicked. _'Shit!'_ "Oi! Orihime, did I hurt you?"

When the girl didn't budge, Ichigo frowned. "Ori-" Ichigo stopped short upon realizing that the girl was shaking. 'I-Is she cold?' "H-Hey, Orihime, are you cold?" Why he was stuttering, he didn't know. The girl still didn't budge and Ichigo frowned; hesitantly, oh so hesitant, Ichigo wrapped a drenched arm over the small girl, as she shivered, and stood up with her in his arms.

_Sometimes, I get this funny feeling when I see you_

_I'm embarrassed because you'll catch me and I look away_

_Then I see you walking away and my chest hurts_

_I smile. But next time, you'll understand these feelings._

He then found himself examining the girl. Her long, wavy tresses were wet and hung low around her waist. She was still in her school uniform, Ichigo realized. His shirt fisted in her small, dainty hands; her small well-endowed body, wet and shivering, was pressed tightly against his tall built frame, her face hidden in his shirt.

"Hey," he muttered, almost solemnly. "If you're cold, you can take my jacket. But it's-"

"Gomen'nasai."

Ichigo jerked in surprise. "W-Wha-"

"Gomen'nasai," she whispered again, cutting him off.

_My heart is hoping_

_That you'll touch that faraway star_

_If this is the last time I'm here,_

_Then I'll touch it too_

A thick silence filled the air; the rain even sounded louder than ever. Ichigo continued to stare at the top of her head, watching as the rain fell off the end of her long orange tresses. Softly, his ears suddenly took in the sobs that came from the girl. She was crying, he realized.

"It's all my fault," he heard her weep.

He shuddered. "What's all your fault, Orihime?"

"Your powers. It's all my fault."

He scowled at the girl, not at all understanding her. What the hell does his lost powers got anything to do with her? Ichigo tried to change the subject, yet his voice stated disapproval. "Hey, listen, Orihime. It's late at night, how 'bout I walk you home?"

Before he could say anything else, suddenly, Orihime gripped his arms and pushed him away, setting distance between the two. Ichigo stumbled, surprised by the sudden movement. When he gained his footing, he looked at the Princess as she bent her head low, her arms covering her chest, and avoiding his eyes.

_In the night, I let my thoughts drift to our memories_

_I'm always left smiling like an idiot when I go to bed_

_My heart beats faster when I think of your laughter_

_I just wish that I had you in my arms when I'm asleep_

_His hands found his pockets, and he waited silently for her._

"I'm so weak," she whispered, and Ichigo flinched. "I've always been weak, Kurosaki-kun. Ever since…ever since Ani-chan died, I've been on my own all alone. Even when Tatsuki was there, I've been alone. When I was younger, there was always kids' bullying me. Even as Ani-chan was alive, the y bullied me then. I remember," though Ichigo couldn't see her eyes, he could see a sad smile gracing her face. "Those kids every one of their faces, teasing me, laughing at me, because of my hair color, because I was so weird."

Ichigo eyes were on the girl, listening attentively to her every word. Ichigo could understand her, her loneliness, the empty hollow feeling inside, always feeling as if there's no one there for them.

"Back then, I hated going to school. I hated being there, only because I had no friends. And people would just bully me and hurt me in whatever way they can. I remember during recess I used sit in the classroom, with sensei-san' permission, watching as all the other kids laughing, giggling, and play tag with each other. And I would sit in class because I didn't want to be lonely and just watch as all the other kids' play, moving on as if I didn't exist. It hurt."

_That promise we'd made long ago_

_Is still in my heart_

_We'd get our hearts far_

_And never forget when tomorrow is_

Ichigo eyes averted to the river, once again, but his ears continued to listen. He remembered being lonely, much like how Orihime did, but at least he had Tatsuki. Orihime had no one.

"But all of that would change when I would see Ani-chan." Orihime eyes slowly made their way up to meet Ichigo's and he'd seen the big, fat tears rolling down her wet, porcelain face. "Ani-chan would always wait up for me at home, even when he had work, he'd wait for me. And I was so happy. Immediately, I'd forget all about the loneliness and the sadness that ach my heart. I would forget about everything except the happiness that Sora-nii gave me. Of course, there were scars that the other kids gave me and I would feel sad because Sora-nii would be sad. But he would brighten up my day, and we'd forget it all.

A small smile graced Ichigo's face, his eyes stayed on the gray irises that watched him. "You are Orihime, aren't you? Naïve, you are."

"Then, Sora-nii died." Ichigo eyes narrowed at Orihime and surprisingly she returned the look. "No one was there after that. I was alone, and that feeling that I felt when other kids used to bully me became a permanent feeling. I left to live with Oba-chan until I was old enough to live on my own. Going home to a lonely apartment without anyone was the most scariest feeling. And even now, it still is."

_My heart is hoping_

_That you'll never forget love_

_If this is the last time I'm here_

_Then I'll never forget too_

"Your brothers' shrine stayed in your apartment. You prayed for him every day. You weren't completely alone; your brother was still there with you. You know that," Ichigo said, recalling the story that Sora told when he became a hollow.

Orihime gave a bitter laugh. "I guess that's right. I knew Ani-chan listened to my prayers every day. I knew he was looking over me, with a big smile on his face…But even that was not enough, not enough to heal the loneliness, the cold, and pain. But now, I think I deserved that feeling. After all, it was my fault that Sora-nii died."

Ichigo eyes widened. "Orihime."

The small word didn't reach her ears. "It was my fault! It was all my fault that Sora-nii died! I shouldn't have said I hated him, Kurosaki-kun! Now, it's all my fault that he left me! I was the one who caused Sora-nii death because I was angry with myself for not being strong enough! I am so weak!"

Orihime was cut off when she felt two strong arms wrap around her, holding her so tightly so that she would fall on the wet pavement. It seemed as if time stopped and Orihime breath caught when she caught Ichigo's scent, his body encasing her with all of him. It took a few moments for Orihime to finally give into the embrace and she returned it with her head in his chest and her hands fisting his wet shirt. It was so cold and so damp to her, but Kurosaki-kun felt so eerily warm to her.

_My heart is hoping_

_That you'll touch that faraway star_

_If this is the last time I'm here_

_Then I'll touch it too_

"And once again, my weakness was proved when I met Tatsuki-chan," she murmured. "Of course, it was back in middle school. By that time, barely anyone paid any mind to me so I wasn't being bullied as much. But I still had no friends. I did what I did best and watched as everyone walked passed me with not a look of care at all. And while I sat alone during recess, Tatsuki-chan was the only one who would talk to me. She was the only person who didn't think of me as a freak. She was my only friend."

Ichigo nose dug into Orihime's hair, continuously stroking the orange strands. "Orihime," he whispered. "How does that make you, in anyway, weak? And what does me losing my powers have anything to do with you? Well, you are my reason why I was willing to lose them. But you being weak or lonely have nothing to do with that. So what fault is yours because they're gone?"

Rather than answering, Orihime held onto him tighter and pressed her ear against his beating heart. Tears continued to roll down her face as she continued listening to the steady beat. It was so calm, sounded so beautiful, she felt as if her worries had slowly carried away with each beat.

_My heart is hoping_

_That you'll never forget love_

_If this is the last time I'm here_

_Then I'll never forget too_

"Kurosaki-kun," she mumbled. "It's all my fault that your powers are gone. Like my brother death, because I was too weak to fight for myself. I could have been strong enough to protect you from Grimmjow, or help you fight against Ulquiorra, or the least I could do was to fight with you against Aizen-"

"Orihime-"

"Then you wouldn't have had to transform. You wouldn't have had to lose your powers for me," she cried. "I was so weak, waiting on the sidelines and watching you fight your hardest against all those enemies, and yet hiding behind a shield. You even went as far as dying and yet you still fought, even with the mask on. And I-I couldn't even-" Orihime was cut off by her tears. She cried into Ichigo's chest.

_The beginning is always the same_

_Underneath the dark sky_

_The same story told over again_

_About unrequited love_

He said nothing and gripped onto her tighter, allowing her to cry, almost crushing her. His eyes slowly opened as he tilted his head upwards and let the rain pelt over his face. "You were never on the sidelines, Orihime. Never–I can reassure you that. You're not weak, either. Orihime, believe it or not, but you are the strongest person I know. It's not Tatsuki, or Rukia, or Chad, or Uryū, or anyone else."

"I'm not as strong as they all are. Rukia, Tatsuki, Chad and Uryū are all stronger than me. They are the only people that can fight alongside with you. Even if Tatsuki is only human, she can still fight alongside with you."

"Yeah, they can all fight, Orihime. But none of them can do what you do. Even though Rukia has Kidō and Tatsuki, Chad, and Uryū have strength, I doubt either one of them can heal or bring up the dead, or as your powers stand for, restore." Ichigo paused when he felt Orihime's eyes on him, slowly absorbing his words.

"But I only have so many powers. The best I can do is heal, nothing more. My defense power is so weak. I have the ability to make Tsubaki stronger, but my will to fight is so weak, so there's no point. And it feels as if my shield is the only power that seems to get stronger."

Ichigo thought over her words for a while. "Orihime, it's like you said, your will to fight is weak. If your will to fight is weak, then that tells you by its self that you're not someone who should fight. And Orihime, when I talk about strength, I'm not talking about physically."

_The day doesn't shine with light_

_Two worlds far apart only to meet again_

_You'll never let go of my hand_

_Maybe, someday, we'd rewrite the story_

Rain drowned out the world. A mist created on the ground, the path that the Protector and the Princess stood on. It felt as if there was no one except the two. A beautiful Princess in the arms of her one and only Protector. And her Protector that would forever hold his Princess, even if he was without power.

"After the few years that I've known you, Orihime," Ichigo started, and Orihime eyes were immediately on his face. "I still haven't figured out how you can go on with life and still keep a smile on your face. It's a pretty hard concept to master, really. I can barely do that." Ichigo voice lowered, all of a sudden. "Sometime, whenever I wake up, I don't even want to get out of bed. I get too tired of waking up and having to defeat hollows all the time. Sometime, I don't even want to get up to save people. It's hard-my muscles aching, my mind cluttered and I can't figure which way is the right and which way is left. The only thing that's keeping me going…is you."

_Thank you for staying with me_

_Thank you for crying with me_

* * *

**(A/N) - Sooooo what do you think ? did the story at least push your reading hunger back...? Okay, so I know I kind of just ended the story all of a sudden, but it's okay , because I already have another chapter coming up ... Sadly though, today I'll be on my way going back to my homestate (Georgia) and I won't be able to upload the story this week. ****But I also wanted to see how the people respond to this, and if they respond nicely to it, then I will be updating the chapter .. But I did try my best for this, and I really did hope you guys enjoyed it.**

**Umm , to all the Nazi Grammar out there , I did try what I did for the grammar, but I still hope you enjoyed the story too. And I wish you all a happy Summer !**

**Goodbye my IchixHimeFan fans. Until next time...**


End file.
